# IRACDA Fellowships in Research and Science Training (FIRST)

> **NIH NIH K12** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $1,218,151

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
In 2000, Emory University partnered with a consortium of Atlanta historically Black colleges and universities
called the Atlanta University Center (AUC) to form our IRACDA program (Fellowships In Research and Science
Teaching or FIRST). This partnership between Emory University, a research-intensive university, and these
Minority Serving Institutions (MSI; Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and
Morehouse School of Medicine) has focused on providing our Scholars with outstanding research experiences
at Emory combined with training and immersive experiences in teaching at the AUC schools. Thus, FIRST
Scholars develop both their academic research credentials and teaching credentials, both of which will be
important in their later academic life. FIRST also supports the AUC as FIRST Scholars develop new courses
and laboratory modules as well as mentor undergraduates from underrepresented groups in research projects.
With these additional educational opportunities through FIRST, these undergraduates that are women and/or
from underrepresented groups are also exposed to enthusiastic, research-oriented teachers and role models —
many of whom are also women and/or from underrepresented groups — who have been successful in graduate
school and postdoctoral academic environments. Our Partner Institutions are also positively impacted as FIRST
alumni, former Emory Postdoctoral Fellows, become AUC academic leaders and reinforce dynamic interactions
among AUC faculty and Emory. Throughout its history, this program has been highly successful in recruiting and
preparing a diverse pool of FIRST Scholars. Overall, 67% of our trainees are in highly competitive research
positions and 15% in tenure-track posts at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). In this current funding period,
FIRST successfully filled six positions each year. A number of those recruited subsequently obtained extramural
funding. Of the 82 FIRST Scholars, 76% were women and 62% were from underrepresented groups. These
successes reflect our exceptional program. Our programmatic objectives in this competitive renewal are to build
on these achievements as follows: 1) Provide Scholars with exemplary research and professional training that
promotes their research, career, and leadership development; 2) At the AUC schools, expand evidenced-based
teaching and biomedical research opportunities to engage early stage STEM students that are women and/or
from underrepresented groups; 3) Increase the number of highly qualified STEM Postdoctoral Fellows from
women and/or underrepresented groups entering competitive academic and biomedical careers. Through the
FIRST Program, Emory is the only research-intensive institution in Georgia that provides comprehensive training
in research and teaching for early career scientists. Continuation of FIRST will allow us to continue training and
preparing STEM Postdoctoral Fellows that are sensitive to the MSI culture and, ultimately...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10693835
- **Project number:** 5K12GM000680-24
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lou Ann S Brown
- **Activity code:** K12 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $1,218,151
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2000-09-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10693835

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10693835, IRACDA Fellowships in Research and Science Training (FIRST) (5K12GM000680-24). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10693835. Licensed CC0.

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